Abusive father and brother…Sister who threw me to the curb…I went to Tent City 4 and hated it there.Then I became an independent operator homeless man.Dealing with people was too much of a headache.Generally, I prefer being alone.Now that I have lymphoma — round two — everyone wants to be […]

Reading this brought up some memories and feelings, more than a few that I work hard to keep burying. (This is your trigger warning.) “The third Sunday in June is a challenging one for those of us with fathers who were destructive forces in our lives. A missing father leaves […]

by Kristin CONTENT WARNING: This poem references domestic abuse, family trauma, suicide, and mental health, and may be triggering for some readers. There’s so much about you that I’ll never knowI inherited your bloodline and self-contemptYet I have so little information on who you really were I remember your gregarious […]

“You have to understand something about surviving violence. It is always with you. It is something you will never get over. And just as you are never going to get over it you incorporate the experience into the fabric of your life. It becomes a part of you.” This resonated […]

By Sarah L. Blum, Nurse and Vietnam Veteran Content Warning: mentions of violence, mental health, suicide The poem by Amanda Gorman, New Day’s Lyric, ends with a focus on coming together. I believe that is the key. There is so much hatred and violence which drives us apart from one […]